2011 iMac 2.5 vs 2.7

Ok - I've decided to toss my PC out the window and dive into the world of Apple. My dad is a long time Mac user, and had tons and tons of problems with them back in the early 90's. But from what I understand, they've ironed everything out.

So I'm looking at getting the lower end iMac with the 2.5 or 2.7GHz i5. The model also has a bigger HD and a better graphics card. But are they worth the price? What I think of when I hear bigger HD is more files to lose when it crashes, and more crap to back up.

But with the card and the processor - is the difference between them noticeable? I plan on doing some video editing and using photoshop. Games - maybe, I don't know. I was a big PC gamer, but I'm getting a tad tired of them and honestly I've been playing my old NES, SNES, and N64 far more.

I'm actually planning on doing videos with my kids - and also, for a hobby, doing NES game reviews. That's where the video editing and photoshop come in. Eventually I'll want to get better software than the stuff that comes with OS X, but I'm not sure what at this point.

So, what I'm really wondering is if the upgrade is really worth it. I'm going with the 4GB model for sure, as I can upgrade when I want, but from what I understand you're kind of stuck with the processor and video card inside of an iMac.

*I also notice that on the website the 2.7 machine can be upgraded to 16GB RAM, while the other can go up to 8GB. Is this just what they'll sell out of the store, or is the one limited to 4GB lower?

*I also notice that on the website the 2.7 machine can be upgraded to 16GB RAM, while the other can go up to 8GB. Is this just what they'll sell out of the store, or is the one limited to 4GB lower?

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Since I can't really talk much about the performance of the machines, I'll confirm that both machines have the same number of RAM slots and can use the same amount of RAM. Why Apple doesn't try to get people to pay for it, even in the base model, is beyond me. If you want to do a RAM upgrade, btw, do it yourself it's cheaper, easy to do, and there's plenty of reliable RAM that'll work with the iMacs. Also, if you plan on doing video editing, you might want to consider getting a little more than 500GB of HDD space. 500GB is good for applications and some media (I know I can't fit all my music and movies on 500GB), but depending on your needs, it may not be able to satisfy you. IMO, the price difference for the larger HDD, better processor and graphics is justified (an apple tech tried to charge me $200 to upgrade the HDD in my old 2007 iMac just a year ago, and that was only for a 1TB drive); whether you need those things is another matter, though.

Thanks for that. That does seem odd that they wouldn't have an option to install as much RAM as possible. Maybe it costs more to buy separately, so that's how they get extra money out of people buying the cheapest model?

I'm leaning towards the 2.7 because of the drive. Curious about the processor and video card still, if anyone else has any input. I'm wondering if there's any real difference.

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